VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages
Abstract
The paper considers the problems of documenting and defining a building tradition in which familiarity, proximity with everyday life, and practicality are of central importance. Spaces for religious practice beyond the denominational churches dot the Ulster landscape. Usually named for their townland or street, these meeting places are a characteristic but often disregarded presence in cities, towns, villages, and rural communities. They represent a Protestant evangelical Christian cultural tradition in which architecture is largely unimportant. Prioritised is the capacity of a building to foster community and the potential of social gathering and interaction to spread the gospel. The design of such buildings could be broadly defined as a changing vernacular tradition in which material restrictions and shared understandings drive design choices. The paper is concerned with the ways in which documentation can bring to light and examine such a vernacular material tradition. It explores the process of definition through visual comparison, supported by literature sources and mapping. The paper finds that such halls comprise a built heritage that operates partly on a holistic level; a network of plain buildings that appear individually insignificant yet make a substantial contribution to the local character of the built environment. The paper suggests that the process of definition and documentation must respect processes of destruction, change and alteration that remain central to the design process of these groups.
Kevin Miller is currently a PhD candidate at the Belfast school of Art and design in Ulster University. His research interests are on the material culture of religion, everyday design, and visual methodologies. His PhD research concerns evangelical meeting halls in Ulster, using visual methodologies to explore a ‘plain style’ in 20th-century evangelical material culture.
Prof Ian Montgomery is Professor of Design and Director of Sustainability at Ulster University in Belfast, UK. He was previously Pro Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement, Faculty Dean of Art Design and the Built Environment, Head of Belfast School of Art, and the first Research Director for Art and Design. He holds a BA and PhD in Design and has acted as external examiner, chief external examiner, and chaired institutional reviews in the UK, Ireland, Europe, and the Far East. Ian continues to publish on art, design, and built environment and has successfully supervised PhD projects in photography, design, typography, creative industries, architecture/planning, creative technologies, and media.
Dr Catherine O’Hara is a lecturer in Design History and Post Graduate Tutor at the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University. Her research interests include the role and status of design, material culture, women’s design history, design for industry in Northern Ireland, with particular interest in the Ulster textile industry.